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The Netherlands-India Association dates back to
April 1951. During its past half a century history, its character
and composition have changed considerably. The Association was
created by a group of Dutch individuals, mostly academics,
interested in the rich and diverse historical, cultural, social,
religious, philosophical and spiritual aspects of India. In the
beginning, membership of the Association was confined largely to
the Dutch community because the Indian population in the
Netherlands was rather scarce. Primarily, the Association was
more concerned with academic activities such as organizing
lectures, talks, debates and seminars highlighting the various
aspects of Indian religions, culture and philosophy.
Late 1960s coincided with considerable change in the number of
Indians living in the Netherlands and by 1969, their number rose
significantly. This change marked a new phase in the history of
the Association; the composition and character of the Association
naturally but gradually started to reflect the socio-cultural
interests of its Indian membership too. Its Constitution, written
and adopted in June 1973, reflects this important change. The
Netherlands-India Association has come a long way since its
creation in 1951 but has always endeavoured to contribute actively
to the development of Indo-Dutch cultural relations and to the
strengthening of such bilateral ties.
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